I am glad I am not the only one with the munchies!! I am spotting again! That is TOM 3 times in less than 1 month!! I am calling the doctor today.. but this is crazy. IT is really reeking havoc with my eating. not that I am eating carbs, or craving any food, but just HUNGRY all the time. I hate this! I hope it isnt a problem due to my surgery back in July. I was doing so well after that. Feeling pretty darn good!

UGH!!

Well, today I am going to the gym right after my kids are off at school, then I have to work on cleaning up around here.. and writing up several patterns! busy day again! but I wouldnt have it anyother way!

Poor Hungry Leens - hope the TOM monster doesn't get you...speaking of which I too had a teeny bit of spotting a few days ago (day 16 of bc pills) - I think this happened a couple of months ago.

I now realize I'm almost at TOM (weekend?)...so no wonder I"m feeling a bit bloated...not cranky yet (is that coming?).

I have not yet gotten the urge to eat everything that isn't nailed down - but that usually happens the day before my period - like I can barely stay out of the kitchen, constantly looking for something to munch on - and I"m usually not that hungry! It typically lasts a day, then once TOM arrives I am generally in better control.

Ice is all melted here and getting warmer today in preparation for more rain tomorrow (UGH!). Team mate at work gone home sick (I hope I have not been "infected")....so I am on my own to do a presentation at board meeting this pm...hope it does not run late as I have kiddies to pick up by 5:30 pm!!!

Then off to the BIG SHOPPING MALL - have to return a black liz claiborne t shirt I bought - fits but not very flattering as it shows too many lumps (cotton spandex if you know what I mean!).

Have to buy bat-mitzvah presents for 3 girls (upcoming invites for dd in november/december) and 1 birthday present (dd invited to slumber party this weekend). Will probably eat there in food court (greek?) or end up out for dinner somewhere if dh can join us when he's finished working.

Today was the day to take my car in, and the "Check Engine" light was just a temperature gauge that was stuck on? Or something like that... I don't really understand car issues. I'm just glad to get it fixed (for free)! Of course, they did mention all sorts of other things that need attention, like brake pads, brake fluid, tranmission flush, new tires, alignment, etc., etc., etc. And, of course, they were going to charge an insane amount for all of it. I said no, and will check with the hubby to see what is vitally important to have fixed/replaced, and we'll take it somewhere a little more affordable and have them fixed one at a time. Thank goodness for my husband! He understands the stuff and knows what we need to do, how much it should cost, etc. It's all foreign to me!

Other than that, I've been staying on track and slowly adding in some exercise to my day. Actually, this morning's breakfast wasn't the best (beef jerky), but I was running out the door at 6:45 a.m. to take the car in. I'm staying under my 20 grams of carbs per day. Sometimes I think I could eat better things, but I'm pretty happy with the way I've been eating. And, the best part is, I've been losing weight!

Today is going to be a major cleaning day! There are lots of things I need to pick up and thoroughly clean. And, I need to put away the Halloween decorations and put out the few Thanksgiving decorations that I have. (I agree with whoever said Thanksgiving decorations are very hard to find and most stores skip over Thanksgiving and jump right into Christmas!)

This is getting long, but there is one other thing I wanted to mention. I work for a citrus and vegetable magazine, and all sorts of industry organizations are causing a big stir about Atkins. They are trying to combat the Atkins diet by touting the health benefits of orange juice, potatoes, etc. They act like Atkins is the devil! I guess to them, it is. They are seeing falling sales. No one I work with knows I am on Atkins since I work out of my apartment, but I am waiting for the fury if anyone finds out. I'm sure I'll be told of all the bad effects of Atkins, etc. I'm trying to be ready... I think losing 12.5 pounds so far is a good testament. I'm going to keep researching it and see what my health looks like when I go to the doctor. Hopefully, I'll have good results there and can use that as well. It seems like people are very pro-Atkins or very con-Atkins. There's no middle road. So far, I see no negative effects -- just lots of positives!

I'm feeling progressively better and am going to try avoid all medications today - I swear, they're part of my stall. I'm even going to get back on my pilates program today.

Mr. Mucus is in full swing in the cube down from me. That man is the most disgusting creature ever placed on this planet! The only benefit is that he's a wonderful appetite suppressant. Do you think I'd get a promotion if I disposed of him?

Anyway, back to work! Have a great day!

__________________
We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. - Anais Nin

I haven't had the munchies, but certainly need to get back to eating eggs in the mornings. They really "stick to my ribs" and help me not feel hungry all day.

Need to find a good way to do them - I think deviling them will help with flavor. Any good recipes out there?

Scale was still up this morning, but I think stress really gets to me on the scale. Tomorrow is Bridget's cardiologist appointment and I'm nervous about it - can't help it. I think it's causing me to either retain water, or not think about how much water I'm drinking. In any case, my mind has been elsewhere.

We'll see what happens with the scale this weekend and I'll go out at lunch to get some more water.

Star - I work with Mr. Mucus, too - in fact a couple of them. It's so gross and really grates on my nerves. Sympathizing with you....

I just wanted to comment on the comment jdogg said about either people are totally for Atkins or against it. recently I had been having heart palpitations and went to the doctor( i have a history of heart problems from when I was 12) anyways he did blood work on me and found that my magnesium was low. He said this can cause arrhythmias. So I took a few doses and the palpitations have stopped...for now i guess i dont know...they found that i am having what they call pvc's(premature ventricular contractions) which is basically a beat before the beat..irregular beat i guess. I asked him if he felt that Atkins could have caused this...he said he was not a fan of the Atkins diet but he did not think my diet was the result of the low magnesium. I looked up and you do get magnesium from grains etc. but i am just going to take a mulitvitamin daily and I think everything will be just fine. He said he prefers the calorie counting and exercise but when i told him i had lost 40 pounds he couldnt argue with Atkins!!! until I read that someone died and the cause was Atkins...I am sticking with it!

I've come across the same thing with people thinking atkins is bad. As a matter of fact, some woman at the grocery store who saw me buying an atkins product, stopped me and told me that I was going to die from renal failure if I followed atkins. Sheesh! What I have found, is that the people who think atkins is bad and the people who have hurt themselves on a low carb diet, are the ones who don't understand it. These are the same people who think atkins means you only eat meat and cheese. Well, duh! Of course, that would do damage to you! For those of us who understand the principles and philosophies behind the practice, we'll be successful AND healthy.

__________________
We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. - Anais Nin

Hi All! I'm doing fantastic today knowing I'm restarting on watching my 20 carbs a day today. But yesterday...YIKES! I had a small bag of chips and some peices of Halloween candy, all because I knew I was restarting with dedication to the diet today. So, now I'm facing the scale of 235. It was 7 pounds lower 3 days ago! I will own up to this here and move on without being hard on myself. I am my own worst diet enemy.

Being on the Atkins for 3 years 4 months now, I get tired of hearing people say it doesn't work. After losing 65 pounds and keeping it off all this time, I recently gained 20 back. I won't have that.
It works too good to give up.

My husband is on it too. He was in the health food store buying our Atkins bread. There was a lady handing out samples of humus dip, or something. He wasn't in the mood to ask what was in it. He told her no thank you three times. She would not give up and he finally said he was on a low carb diet. She said, "I hope you're not eating too much protein." He looked at her and said, "Oh please!" and walked away. We have to fight off everyone we know for the sake of our diet-except for our doctors and hubbys heart specialist who says it's great and to keep doing what we are doing. Have a great day! Barbie

Had a good experience this morning. Ran into a guy I know at the coffee cart who was telling our Barista (Barb) why he couldn't have his Breve every morning anymore. He was doing Atkins. And get this - he was NOT doing Atkins to lose weight!! He is slim and healthy - BUT he is doing Atkins to AVOID DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE that runs rampant in his family.

So, he was kind of at a loss as to what to order - so I volunteered that I now get Americano's with a shot of cream and whatever Sugar Free flavoring I choose - no Splenda because it saves me carbs that way. He ordered one and was thrilled at how good it was.

Hi everyone! It warmed up nicely today, after the horror that was yesterday. Ice all over ... it was difficult maneuvering hills with my running shoes on.

Day 3 induction for me ... (has it *only* been 3 days? It seems like much longer!). Actually, following induction has been going well so far, I've resisted so far any urges to cheat - however I foresee complications at a birthday party this Friday. This week actually is proving to be a real test of my will power with a wine and cheese event (at least the cheese is okay!) and food & alcohol available for free before my grad student council meeting. I'm wondering if everyone knew that I was going to start Atkins this week and decided to plan events that would make it difficult for me!

Lekker - just keep with it. THE HARDEST PART is that first month - I will not lie....BUT you will feel so amazing and drop so much weight that you will be so motivated going into that 2nd month.

I had my annual physical this AM (and a flu shot) - but I am going to post a separate thread of my blood work results because my Dr. was THRILLED!!!!! And I have been on Atkins since 7/10/2003 and the bloodwork was drawn last Friday ( almost 4 months of Atkins diet exclusively!)

1. Eat before you go to these things - it's a lot easier to resist temptation when you're not hungry

2. Keep your goals your number 1 priority. Especially at 3 days in, it's imperative that you do not cheat. Keep asking yourself - is that one bite of cake, pie, candy or other little evil worth it? Trust me, it WILL cost you big and it WILL hurt.

3. Be aware of the example you're setting. As you've seen on today's thread, there are a lot of critics of this woe. If you want your friends, family, and peers to take you seriously on this, you cannot waver.

4. When all else fails, procratinate. Here it is, everyone, my secret weapon. When I really REALLY want something that I know I shouldn't have, I say to myself, "maybe in a little bit". And then I keep saying it over and over until it's too late and the temptation is gone. Works like a charm

__________________
We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. - Anais Nin

Hello to All!!
I wanted to post yesterday but had forgotten my password (since I was on a different computer) and I messed everything up and didn't get it straightened out until this morning!

But I have so enjoyed reading everyones posts!

I am on day 3 and feeling great! I sure hope I do see some serious weight loss because this feels like something I could actually live with. My favorite meal right now is a sasuage patty fried/crumbled and mixed with 3 scrambled eggs with a little shredded cheddar on top. I have had this for breakfast twice and dinner once. I've also enjoyed salads with all the fixings and it's great that my favorite blue cheese cressing only has 1 gram carbs!! It's always been off limits on other diets! Does that sound like a reasonable meal?? I still am doubting myself because these types of foods have always been a big NONO!

I must admit that I was one of those anti Atkins people in the past due mainly to ignorance. I have had several friends lose weight on low carb diets and I just couldn't comprehend that eating such high calorie and high fat foods could be good for you. I am beginning to change my tune.
After actually reading the book I have discovered some things that make sense and I'm definately going to give this a gigantic effort. I'm soooooooooo tired of this extra weight and the feelings of inferiority it brings. I am 44 years old and ready to be fit & trim!!!
I laugh so much at your "Mr. Mucus". I can only imagine and count my blessings that the ladies in my nearby cubes are wonderful friends!! However someone caught a big boss outdoors blowing the nose without a tissue. Gross! I would absolutely choke my dh for doing that!!
Well hope everyone continues to have a great day!
Michelle